Prediction of Surgical Outcome in Patients with Recurrent Patellar Dislocation
Dario De Caro
Monday, April 25th
10:30 a.m. – MEC 301
Lateral dislocation of the patella is a common injury in active adolescents and young adults. Patients who are ultimately managed surgically have a significantly lower risk of recurrent dislocation. However, determining the optimal surgical treatment remains a challenge, with patients sometimes undergoing multiple surgeries prior to successful stabilization. The aim of this study is to computationally evaluate patients that have undergone multiple surgeries to correct for recurrent lateral patellar dislocation and predict their clinical outcome. Patient-specific imaging was used to create three-dimensional finite element models of the knee joint and evaluate patellofemoral stability at multiple time points pre- and post-surgery for each patient. This study will provide surgeons with a useful and validated computational tool that can predict the likelihood of patellar dislocation and differentiate, prior to clinical intervention, between a successful versus unsuccessful surgery, to determine the optimal treatment pathways for individual patients.
About the presenter
Dario is an international student from Turin, Italy. He got his bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at Politecnico di Torino. Dario started the Master in Mechanical Engineering program at Boise State University in August of 2020 and has been working as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Computational Biosciences Laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Clare Fitzpatrick. Dario is also a Track and Field and Cross Country athlete and he runs for the BSU team as well as the Italian National Team.
Research Advisor: Dr. Clare Fitzpatrick